THOUGHT LEADERS: Here’s what HR and business leaders across Southeast Asia have to say on today’s pressing issues:
“Having good ESG policies is something that will not go away. If a company doesn’t address these issues, they will only get worse and will require more attention in the future,” — Low Khim Wah, Regional HR Director Greater Asia, International Flavors & Fragrances
Low Khim Wah was asked to comment on ESG in a recent white paper by Lim-Loges & Masters. He added that such practices are important for sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific region. “Investors today want companies to be responsible and to take care of all their stakeholders,” he said.
“The modern world is underpinned – and made possible – by diversity. Nearly every modern invention is a rich ensemble of individual parts, each different from many others, performing unique roles and holding up as a functional circuit,” – Jayaram Philkana, Head for HR, Asia-Pacific Region, Syngenta
In a LinkedIn post, Philkana defined workplace diversity as “providing equal opportunity to all and treating everyone fairly.” He added that this is necessary, and that it has worked well for his company. Under his leadership, Syngenta has started using gender-neutral language in all their job postings.
“[Diversity] is not just an HR agenda, it a collective business agenda. The aspiration here is to scale up and nurture more women in the analytics, AI, machine learning, and all things digital,” – Norlida Azmi, Chief People Officer, Axiata Group
Azmi talked about being a part of her company’s initiative to empower women in tech spaces. She said that some women may have acquired an impostor syndrome for growing up in an environment where women must be more modest and less assertive. It is important to break that barrier so women can feel more comfortable in talking about their own accomplishments.
WHO SAYS? — a curation of insights from HR leaders and business professionals across Southeast Asia — appears on Chief of Staff Asia every Wednesday at 12:30 pm.
